Hera Syndulla Rumored To Replace Gina Carano's Cara Dune In 'Rangers Of The New Republic'
A lot has been happening with the Star Wars franchise on the live-action television front. Following the success of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm announced last December that there would be several more live-action shows coming to Disney+. A few of the shows are essentially spin-offs of The Mandalorian: Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Rangers of the New Republic. Out of these three, the latter is the biggest question mark, as it does not include a character name in the title.
It has been speculated that Rangers of the New Republic was supposed to center somewhat around Cara Dune, who was portrayed by Gina Carano in The Mandalorian. However, following some controversial social media posts over the last several months, Disney and Lucasfilm decided that they would no longer be working with Carano. This has left viewers wondering whether or not Cara Dune may be recast. However, a new rumor suggests that instead of a recast, there may be a different character fulfilling whatever role Dune may have had if she were indeed included in the series. And the rumor actually pertains to a character who is already a familiar face to many Star Wars fans.
LRM Online have reported that Hera Syndulla would be the returning character. Fans of Star Wars animation will remember Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels. The daughter of Cham Syndulla from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this Twi'lek actually made her debut (alongside Kanan Jarrus) in the first "new canon" novel Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller back in September 2014, ahead of Rebels. On the series, she is the pilot of the Ghost and the leader of the crew, which eventually joins up with the Rebel Alliance. Since the end of Rebels in 2018, she has popped up in other Star Wars media, including the Doctor Aphra comic series, the Alphabet Squadron novels, and the Squadrons video game. In the aforementioned pilot-oriented stories, she has played a role as the Rebel Alliance essentially does clean-up duty in the year following Return of the Jedi, when the Empire is at its most vulnerable and being taken out. Hera Syndulla has come a long way in the Star Wars canon.
Hera Syndulla would certainly have a place in the New Republic a few years later, which is when Rangers of the New Republic is set. Some fans may have been expecting that Cara Dune would be replaced by another human woman to fill whatever role she may have served, so this familiar Twi'lek character probably comes as a bit of a surprise to many. It would follow the trend of animated characters making the jump to live-action. This has happened with such characters as Saw Gerrera, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Ahsoka Tano, and there are reports that it could possibly happen with Ezra Bridger possibly portrayed by Mena Massoud sometime in the near future. With The Mandalorian's mention of Thrawn, many fans are hoping to see characters from Star Wars Rebels in live-action form.
Of course, we will just have to wait and see if Disney and Lucasfilm confirm these reports. Many fans are hoping to see these characters, and some would argue that it looks like a road map would lead to these characters. But none of this will be official until Disney and Lucasfilm confirm them. In the meantime, fans can watch (or rewatch) Hera's adventures on Star Wars Rebels, all of which is available to watch on Disney+. Whether or not Hera appears in Rangers of the New Republic, she has become a staple for many Star Wars fans.
Source(s): The Direct